World Cup 2026: VAR eliminates Croatia's dream after draw against Portugal
Croatia were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in a thrilling match against Portugal. A last-minute goal, which appeared to have been the equalizer, was disallowed by VAR for an offside position. Coach Zlatko Dalic and players expressed their frustration with the decision and the impact of technology on football.
It was a tragic end to an insane game: in the 13th minute of extra time, Croatia celebrated an equalizer, but a chip on the ball revealed an offside position. Thus, the Croatians regretted the farewell to the World Cup against Portugal. "We didn't deserve to be eliminated, we were at the same level as Portugal", lamented Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic. Player Martin Baturina also commented: "We left without deserving it, they were lucky. We didn't deserve it to end like this."
After a tepid first half, the Croatians came alive and opened the scoring with a goal from Ivan Perisic, who became the Croatian national team's all-time top scorer in World Cups, surpassing Davor Suker. However, the match was not without drama, and as Josip Stanisic pointed out, "luck was not on our side today". A controversial penalty for the equalizer and two goals disallowed due to offside positions sparked outrage among the Croatians. Stanisic said: "The referee could have ruled in our favor, in tight games that makes the difference."
But the tension increased even further: a late goal from Portuguese substitute Gonçalo Ramos was equalized by Croatia in the 13th minute of extra time (!). At least apparently: while the Croatians were celebrating the scorer, Josko Gvardiol, VAR intervened. Mario Pasalic had participated in the play from an offside position. The question was: whose last pass was it? Igor Matanovic tried to deflect a cross to Pasalic. The attacker wasn't sure if he touched the ball: "I felt a slight bump on my head. But I didn't know if I had touched the ball." The answer was given by the chip embedded in the ball, which records when and with what force the ball is touched. When the referee watched the play on the screen, a slight spike in the momentum curve revealed Matanovic's touch. "I asked the referee what he saw. He didn't say anything, but the sensor on the ball indicated that Matanovic touched the ball," Baturina said later.
So a clear offside position? Matanovic actually touched the ball, which went to Portuguese defender Renato Veiga. He passed the ball with a header to Pasalic. But was this a "Deliberate Play", a conscious play of the ball that nullifies the offside? The Norwegian referee did not assess it as such. In fact, it was clear that the defender, surprised, had the ball hit his head at close range, without any intention. Then the celebrated goal was disallowed. Rather than extra time, the dramatic elimination led Croatia to question their fate - and VAR. "It kills emotions, it's not easy to deal with. Football should be fair, but with VAR we went too far", complained Dalic at the press conference. His colleague Roberto Martinez had a contrary view: "The chip proved that Matanovic was on the ball first, and that's why there was an offside. This shows how technology helps sport. It wasn't a wrong decision!"
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